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CORING
Core analysis has become a long way from the days when reservoir productivity
was determined by blowing through a piece of cable tool produced core. Our
tools and methods for drilling and core analysis have changed but our interest is
not. The reservoir rock properties that determine hydrocarbon production, the
variation in this properties and how these properties effect ultimate recovery
are still of primary concern. Properly engineered core analysis provides a direct
measurement of these reservoir rock properties and is an essential step in
formation evaluation ,reservoir and production engineering. Fundamental core
analysis measurements are unchanged but advances provide the ability to test at
reservoir conditions and to acquire simultaneous measurements of reservoir
related properties.
formation before a decision can be made to complete the well and spend any
additional thousands of dollars for completion equipment and services. One of
the most reliable sources of information on the lithologic and fluid-bearing
characteristics of a reservoir is an actual sample of the reservoir rock ,with the
fluid contained in it. CORING is the term applied to the technique whereby
relatively large samples (by comparison with the normal size of the drilling
cuttings) of reservoir material are removed from their native state and brought
to the surface for physical examination.
Normally the most important information desired from the coring operation
concerns:
1) Porosity, which is a measure of the fluid-carrying capacity of the
formation.
2) Permeability, which indicates whether the formation fluids will be able to
flow at rates fast enough to permit economical production of the
hydrocarbon fluids
3) Water saturation
4) Hydrocarbon saturations, including the relative percentages of oil and gas.
Cores are also obtained for a variety of other reasons, including geological
studies , studies of fracture patterns in fractured formations , studies of
formations in order to obtain better well completion and also some climate
related studies.
Rotary coring
Rotary coring was probably first introduced by the French Engineer Leschat in
1863; however it did not come in to general use in the oil industry until the early
1920s. In order to obtain a core with rotary drilling tools, provision must be
made for cutting the formation in the desired shape and retaining the core. The
rotary coring bit is used to cut the core and a core barrel is used to retain the
core after it has been cut.
Rotary coring equipment has continued to keep abreast of technological
developments in the drilling industry. At the present time there are basically
three types of rotary coring equipment:
1) Conventional coring
Conventional Coring
Conventional coring is a continued development of the original rotary coring
methods. Special equipment required in conventional coring includes a core bit,
which is located on the extreme lowerend of the drill stem, and a core barrel,
for retaining the core after it has been cut , which is located immediately above
the core bit.
The basic requirements for a good rotary core-cutting head are essentially
same as for a good drilling bit,because both are performing essentially the same
function. The problem of design a good coring bit is somewhat more
complicated, however, because only the outer rim of the formation is cut,
leaving a maximum amount of the formation intact. Therefore the cutting and
bearing surfaces of a core bit are considerably smaller than the same surfaces
on a drilling bit. In addition to the normal requirement that a bit should drill a
gauge hole as fast as possible with minimum wear on the cutting surfaces, the
coring bit must also satisfy the additional requirements of (1) cutting an
optimum size core in such a manner that (2) the maximum amount of the core
can be retained and brought to the surface for examination.
Since in coring operations it is highly important that the cutting surfaces of the
bit be kept clean and free of cuttings particular attention must be directed to
the placing of the nozzles through which the drilling fluid circulates.
As one of the major objectives in coring is to recover and bring to the
surface 100 percent of the cored formation, the development of suitable coreretaining equipment is essential. The major item of such equipment is core
barrel. A conventional core barrel consists essentially of
1) an inner barrel
2) an outer barrel
3) a core catcher
Wire-line Coring
In order to overcome the previously cited disadvantages of conventional
core drilling, methods have been developed for obtaining a core, bringing the
core to the surface and proceeding with normal drilling operations ,all without
removing the drilling tools from the hole. This is accomplished by inserting the
proper equipment in the lower part of the drill stem by means of a wire line
which can be run inside the drill pipe. This wire-line coring decreased the cost of
obtaining cores and thus many more cores may be obtained than would otherwise
Side-wall Coring
Side-wall coring is a supplementary coring tool. It can be used in zones where
core recovery by conventional or wire-line methods is, or in zones where the
latter cores were not obtained as drilling processed. Side-wall cores can be
obtained at any time after the formation from which a core is desired has been
penetrated.
The side-wall coring device is lowered in to the hole, usually on a logging cable
and a sample of the formation at the desired depth is obtained.
Coring should begin at light bit weight and low rotary speed; these may be
increased as soon as cutting action is established. Normally the applied bit
weights and table speeds should be held within the limits calculated, unless
specific experience in the area dictates otherwise. Circulating volumes for
conventional core bits approach those of regular bits of the same size. Diamond
bits require less fluid volume, and may actually be pumped and bounced
off bottom by excessive circulating rates. Also, severe erosion of the water
courses and bit matrix may occur.
Pump pressure should be closely watched during diamond coring as an
indication of whether drilling fluid is passing over the face of the bit. With the
bit on bottom, pressure should be higher than when the bit is off-bottom. This
is essential to hit cleaning and performance. A sudden pump pressure increase
not alleviated by raising the bit off bottom, may mean that the core barrel is
plugged by trash in the mud; if this happens, it should be pulled for inspection.
Fit core. Space rubble between ends of core. Put rubble in sample bag and
mark depths.
Mark core with reference lines and depths, using marker pens.